In the art of making and dispensing beverages, there is that common and widely used class of dispensing machine for dispensing non-carbonated fruit punch and the like and which includes a counter-top engaging base and an elongate vertically extending and upwardly opening transparent beverage display and supply tank. The upper end of the tank is normally closed by a removable cover. The base has a front side from which a beverage dispensing valve projects and from which a drip tray projects to support a drinking glass or the like below the valve. Typically, the above class of beverage dispensing machine includes a refrigeration means to cool beverage in the supply tank. The refrigeration means is carried by the base and has an evaporator unit which projects up from the base into a downwardly opening cavity or well formed in the bottom of the tank. Finally, machines of the class referred to in the foregoing include beverage circulating means to maintain beverage in the tanks mixed and in motion. The circulating means typically include pump structures built into the bottoms of the supply tanks and which have impellers with magnetic drive coupling parts. The circulating means next include electric motors with magnetic coupling parts mounted within the bases and in driving relationship with the impellers
In operation and use, the beverage to be dispensed by the above noted class of machines is established in portable containers remote from the machines by commingling and mixing together measured volumes of water and beverage concentrates. The pre-mixed beverages are delivered into the supply tanks of the machines by manually removing the covers from the supply tanks of the machines and pouring the pre-mixed beverages into the tanks, at the open tops thereof. Thereafter, the covers are replaced and the machines are let to stand or remain out of service a sufficient period of time to allow the refrigeration means to lower the temperature of the new supplies of beverages to serving temperature. Thereafter, beverages are dispensed through the dispensing valves into awaiting glasses, a serving at a time, until refilling of the tank is required.
While the above procedure is simple, it has been found that in the majority of instances, the pre-mixing of beverages in separate containers and transferring it into the tanks of the machines from which it is to be dispensed, each time refilling is required, is messy, troublesome and repleat with potentially serious health and safety hazards. It has also been found that the down time required to effect refilling of such machines and allowing the beverages in the machines to cool often occurs at most inopportune times and results in many unforeseen problems, including substantial losses in sales.
It has been recognized that it would be most advantageous to provide machines of the class referred to above with means for automatically mixing measured volumes of water and beverage concentrate and delivering resulting beverages directly into the supply tanks of the machines and to provide such means which automatically, intermittently operate to maintain the supply of beverages in their related supply tanks at a high level and substantially full, whereby the practice of mixing full supplies of beverages in separate containers and transferring such beverages into the tanks of such machines is eliminated and so that ample supplies of chilled beverages remain in the supply tanks at all times to effectively chill those small volumes of beverages that are intermittently added thereto.
To the above end, the prior art has provided many different kinds and forms of automatic beverage supply and/or mixing means for beverage dispensing machines of the character referred to. Most of those automatic beverage supply and mixing means provided by the prior art have consisted of a multiplicity of elements and/or parts which must be built into their related beverage dispensing means in what might best be described as a make-shift plumbing job. They must be built into their related machines at the time of manufacturing the machines or, if related to existing machines, the machines must be rebuilt or modified to such an extent that their structural and/or aesthetic integrity is often adversely affected.
To date, the only automatic beverage supply and mixing means for beverage dispensing machines of the character referred to above which have proven to be satisfactory and practical have been those means which are specially designed to handle, dispense and mix liquid beverage concentrates and water. Such machines have proven satisfactory simply because liquid concentrates are quite easy to store, transport and dispense in metered volumes. For example, supplies of such concentrate can be located remote from their related machines, can be conducted to the machines through small, flexible tubes and the like and can be easily dispensed in metered volumes and mixed with metered volumes of water by means of simple aspirator devices arranged in the tanks of the machines. Such aspirator devices can be connected with suitable pressurized water service systems by flexible tubes extending from the machines. Accordingly, such means only require that the aspirator devices be related directly to the tanks of the machines and only two small tubes need extend from those devices to remote concentrate and water supplies.
In practice, while liquid beverage concentrates are quite common, dry, powdered or granulated beverage concentrates are also quite common and their use is preferred by many vendors of beverages.
Providing automatic beverage concentrate supply and mixing means for beverage dispensing machines of the here concerned with, which are capable of handling dry, or granulated beverage concentrates, is made extremely difficult by the hygroscopic nature of such concentrates and their tendency to become moist, sticky, gummy and incapable of being effectively worked with when exposed to a source of moisture. As a result of the foregoing, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all attempts by those in the prior art to provide automatic beverage mixing means for beverage dispensing means of the class here concerned with, which are capable of handling powdered or granulated beverage concentrates, have proven to be deficient and wanting to such an extent that none has proven to be functionally and/or economically practical to use and none has attained any notable commercial success.
Exceptions to the above are those small coffee, tea and cocoa machines which operate to mix and dispense their beverages, a serving at a time. Such special machines do not maintain large supplies or volumes of beverage in tanks, chilled and ready to be dispensed. In such machines, water is intermittently dispensed and handled by the machines in such a manner that any or most residual moisture, which might adversely affect the supplies of dry, powdered or granulated beverage concentrates is effectively exhausted from the machines.
In the case of beverage dispensing machines of the class here concerned with, if an automatic beverage concentrate supply and mixing means, suitable for storing, dispensing and mixing dry powder concentrate with water and for delivering the beverage thus made into the supply tank of the machine is to be provided, it must be related to the open top of the supply tank of the machine and must be sufficiently large to accommodate and carry an adequate supply of concentrate for practical use. Further, such means, to be effective and practical, must be such that the supply of dry powder or granulated beverage concentrate is suitably protected against the intrusion of moisture which would result in its degradation. Accordingly, it would be reasonable to assume that such a means, when related to the open top of the supply tank of such a machine, would be a large, bulky and unsightly structure towering above the top of the supply tank.